Not applicable.
This invention relates to assemblies for cooking human food, and in particular to such assemblies that use heated tubes that are rotatably mounted to a housing so that food can be placed upon the roller tubes to be heated. The invention also relates to guard covers for human food cooking assemblies so that germs such as from sneezing, and contaminants in the ambient air, are blocked from impinging upon the food.
Heretofore, heating and cooking assemblies have used rotatable roller tubes for heating and cooking food. Roller tube cooking is especially adaptable to heating and cooking products that have an elongated shape, such as hot dogs and wieners. In the prior art, the roller tubes had been mounted to the housing by bearings. However, the load exerted by the tube upon such bearings has caused deformation, and has caused wear and tear upon the bearing so that grease and other liquids have passed through the bearing seals to enter other parts of the housing such as the drive assembly of the housing.
Prior roller tube heating assemblies have used drive systems that have employed a chain driven by a rotatable sprocket or gear. The chain has been connected to sprockets or gears mounted at the ends of the roller tubes so that rotation of the drive sprocket or drive gear rotates the roller tubes. In the prior art, the roller heating tubes have been mounted in a row horizontally relative to the housing, or in some cases, at an angle of about 15 degrees relative to the housing, with their central axes extending in a straight line. However, there have been problems caused by the application of the drive chain force from the drive member directly to pulling a roller tube. This has resulted in distorting the end of that roller tube, and also in distorting the bearing with which the roller tube is mounted to allow grease and liquids to pass by the bearing into enclosures such as into the area housing the drive components.
Further, with roller tubes aligned at an angle of about 15xc2x0 relative to the housing in the prior art, inconvenience has arisen in an operator trying to serve food from the grill when the operator is located at the end of the grill at the upper incline of the tubes. Additionally, with a 15xc2x0 incline of the tubes, food products can roll down toward the bottom of the tubes if they are bumped by a serving instrument during the serving process or a rearrangement process.
A consideration in roller grills is conservation and distribution of the heat that is applied to the roller tubes. Prior heated roller tubes have had elongated, spiral heating elements covered by sheathes, which extend through the center of the tubes. However, because heat is lost at the ends of the roller tubes, it is desirable to a greater distribution of heat at the ends of the tubes than in the center part of the tubes to provide a more uniform temperature along the entire roller tube. There is also a need to provide heat to the roller tubes so that the food products are maintained at a sanitary temperature of 140xc2x0 Fahrenheit.
Previous food cooking heating assemblies have employed controls for controlling the supply of power, controlling the temperature of the roller tubes, controlling the heating time, and using display lights to indicate the state of control members. Such controls have been mounted on a control panel of a food cooking assembly. Such controls have been exposed to view during operation, and also exposed to possible impingement or bumping by a person or by some object moved about the assembly, to change the setting of a control. In the prior art, drawers or containers have been used to store items such as buns or other foods, in proximity with a heating assembly.
Heretofore, guards have been used to cover food cooking and heating assemblies to help resist germs and contaminants from coming into contact with the food located with a heating or cooking assembly. Such guards have been comprised of transparent material, such as plastic. In the prior art, such guards have had hinged components which can be lifted to allow access to the food under the guard cover. A problem with this type of unit has been that the operators using them have, at times, lifted the component up to have access to the food, but not returned the hinged member to a lower position to better cover the food. Prior guards have had pass-through types of structure wherein there are openings at the ends of the guard with a passage connecting the openings. A problem with these guards is that one could sneeze or cough into the openings into the passage to contaminate the food, or other contaminants could float through the openings to contact the food. In the prior art, food guards have used openings covered by flaps with the guard structure including a rigid ledge connecting the bottom part of the guard beneath the opening. A problem with these types of guards is that the ledge at the bottom of the opening hinders accessibility to food and makes it more difficult to see the food.
The present invention improves over the prior art and provides a number of advantages for heating and cooking human food, and for protecting the food from contaminants. The present invention provides a drive system for rotating tubular rollers used for heating and cooking foods. The invention provided a means for driving the roller tubes to rotate relative to the housing which include a drive member mounted to the housing and driven by a power source such as a motor. The roller tubes are provided with driving engagement structure such as a sprocket or a gear. The roller tubes are aligned in a group so that there is a roller tube at each end of the group. The invention further provides an idler member that includes a sprocket, gear, or the like, mounted with the housing as by a stud. Drive linkage such as a drive chain is drivingly connected with the drive member, with the roller tube drive engagement structure, and with the idler member. The connection is such that the direction of movement of the drive linkage is that the drive member pulls the linkage so that the linkage moves from the engagement with the roller tubes toward and about the idler member, and thence from the idler member to the drive member. In other words, the drive member is pulling the linkage in the direction from the idler member toward the drive member without any tubular heating members located in between. This arrangement thus allows the pulling force that is transmitted by the linkage from the drive member to be directly transmitted to the idler member, rather than directly transmitted to the end of one of the roller tubes. The force applied by the linkage against the idler member is transferred to the housing. After the linkage passes from the idler member to the drive member, it extends about the drive member to move next to engagement with the engagement means of the roller tubes. Reinforcing structure, such as a strut with an opening to allow passage of the linkage, can also be used in mounting the idler member to the housing to better withstand the forces of the drive linkage exerted about it, and to resist distortion of the idler member and its mounting.
The invention also provides a bearing sealing assembly for mounting the individual roller tubes in a food cooking assembly. The sealing assembly comprises a bearing member and an annular sealing member. The bearing member has a bore that receives the roller tube therethrough. The bore has a section with an annular shape to receive the annular sealing member. In the preferred embodiment, the annular member is an O-ring with an outer curved surface, and the bearing bore section that receives the O-ring has a similar curved surface, so that when the O-ring is expanded to fit about the roller tube, the O-ring outer surface rests against the conforming surface of the bore section. The bearing member can also be provided with an annular rim section with a flat surface that engages a flat surface of the housing. The bearing can further have a sleeve that extends throughout an opening in the wall of the housing, with an outwardly projecting flange extending from the sleeve on the other side of the wall so as to engage the wall.
The invention further provides for a tool and a method for mounting the bearing fittings and sealing members. The tool has a first section of cylindrical shape which is telescopically received within an end of a roller tube. The tool has a second section extending from the first section, which second section has a cylindrical outer surface. That cylindrical outer surface of the second section is about the same diameter as the roller tube outer surface. The shoulder at the juncture at the first and second tool sections can be placed to abut the end of the roller tube so that the surface of the second tool section is aligned and substantially continuous with the outer surface of the roller tube. The tool has a third section that extends from the second section. The third section is tapered with a proximal end that adjoins the second section. The third tool section has a distal end with a diameter less than that of the proximal end so that the third section has a tapered shape sized to extend through the annular sealing member, or O-ring. Preferably the third section has a frusto-conical shape. To install the bearing sealing members, the bearing and the annular member, such as the O-ring can be mounted with the food grill housing. The roller tube with the mounted tool are then moved to allow the tapered end of the tool to pass through the annular sealing member, so that the annular member has its inner surface in contact with the tapered surface of the third section. The tube and tool are continued to be moved through the annular member and bearing so that the annular member expands as it slides along the tool""s tapered third section until the annular member is positioned about the second section of the tool. When this occurs, the annular member has been stretched so that its outer surface fits against the conforming surface of the bearing bore section. The tool and the tube are continued to be slid through the sealing member and bearing until the inner surface of the annular sealing member fits about the tube outer surface to seal thereagainst. A lubricant can be added to the surface of the third tool section prior to inserting it within the annular member.
In another embodiment of a tool and method for mounting the bearing fittings and sealing members, a tool comprising a spring having a slotted cylindrical shape is provided. The bearing and sealing member can be mounted with an opening in the grill housing. The spring tool can then be inserted within the sealing member and bearing to exert outward force against the sealing member to stretch it and press it so that its outer surface fits against the conforming surface of the bearing bore section. Preferably, the tool is inserted through the bearing and sealing member from the side of the housing frame that is opposite the side from which the roller tube is inserted. With the tool so installed, the tubular heating member can be inserted from a position on the side of the housing frame opposite the side of insertion of the spring tool and moved within the spring tool. The spring tool in its inserted position in the O-ring has an inside diameter that is slightly greater than the outside diameter of the roller tube. After the roller tube end is inserted to extend beyond the bearing and sealing member, the spring tool can be grasped by the operator, and pulled away from the bearing and sealing member, thus leaving the roller tube inserted through the sealing member and bearing so that the roller tube exerts force against the sealing member to hold it in position within the bearing bore section. The roller tube can continue to be inserted until it passes to the point to be inserted through an aligned hole in the frame on the other side of the housing. The same method of inserting the tool within the bearing and sealing member in the other frame can then be employed.
As to another feature of the invention, the housing is provided with a control panel upon which controls, such as for controlling power to heating members, controlling the temperature of the heaters, and the time for heating, are mounted. A cover is mounted with the housing to pivot from a first position to cover the control panel, to a second position which exposes the controls for operation. A pin can be mounted with the cover and the housing with a biasing means, such as a spiral spring, used to bias the pin to engage the cover and the housing. In one embodiment, the cover has structure providing two aligned holes. The pin has a shaft section that fits through a first hole. The shaft extends into an enlarged shoulder that abuts structure about the second hole. The shoulder extends into an engagement section that passes through the second hole. The biasing means, such as a spring, has a first end abutting the pin shoulder and a second end abutting the cover structure about the first hole, so that the biasing member biases the pin shoulder to push the pin engagement section into a hole in the housing structure.
In another embodiment, the cover mounting means comprises a spring which has two legs that are joined by a bight. A boss extends from the first leg. The cover has first structure, such as a tab, with a hole therein, sized to receive the spring boss. The cover has a second structure, such as a pin, against which the second spring leg can abut. The spring legs are compressed so that the second leg abuts the second structure and the boss of the first leg passes through the hole of the first structure so that the boss is biased by the spring action in an outward direction. The boss can be installed to be inserted with a hole in the housing of conforming shape so that the cover can pivot relative to the housing.
The roller tubes can further be mounted so that their central axes are aligned to extend at an angle of about 3xc2x0 to 5xc2x0 relative to the housing. The central axis of the idler member of the drive assembly can also be aligned with the axes of the roller tubes as part of the alignment of from about 3xc2x0 to 5xc2x0. The 3xc2x0 to 5xc2x0 alignment of the roller tubes allows for a convenient arrangement so that operator has a good view of the food items cooked upon the roller grill from the operator""s primary work point. Additionally, the operator can serve food items from the opposite ends of the housing wherein the elevation of the rollers is higher. The 3xc2x0 to 5xc2x0 elevation is of a lesser incline than the 15xc2x0 incline known in the prior art, so as to be less likely to encounter a problem of food items rolling down the 3xc2x0 to 5xc2x0 incline if they are inadvertently bumped or struck by a serving instrument.
The invention further features cover structure mounted to the frames of the housing about the ends of the roller tubes. One of these cover structures can act to cover the sprockets or other engagement means at the ends of the roller tubes as well as cover the linkage or chain of the drive assembly. The cover structures act to block heat loss from the ends of the roller tubes. The cover structure on each of the housing frames adjacent the roller tubes also provides a means for mounting the heating members that extend through the roller tubes. Openings can be provided through the structure to receive ends of the heating members to support same. The heating members can have a heating element with a wound spiral configuration. The spacing between each of the spiral winds is more compact at the ends of the element than in the center.
Moreover, a feature of the invention is providing the housing with a compartment for storing food items such as buns, or other things, within the housing. The housing has a cavity with interior structure. The compartment can be slidably mounted relative to the housing interior structure. The compartment has a pair of tracks which are mounted toward their fronts to a cover. A transverse structural connection between the tracks can also be made. The tracks fit with members associated with the housing interior structure to slide relative thereto. In the preferred embodiment, roller wheels fitting within channel-shaped tracks are provided. A pan is shaped to be supported by compartment structure, such as the tracks or structure connectors. The pan can have a gripping section and be removable. The compartment can be slid to a closed position wherein the pan is contained within the housing cavity and the cover acts to cover the controls on the control panel. In a second position, the handle of the cover is pulled to pull the cover away from the control panel so that the controls are exposed for operation, and so the pan can be removed from the compartment. The heat from the heating means can pass through the housing structure, such as the wall structure, to warm the buns or other items in the compartment, when the compartment is in the closed position.
Additionally, a feature of the invention is a guard for covering food that is located or associated with a housing. The cover has first and second legs and a top section. An opening can be provided at the front and rear of the guard. The openings at both the front and the rear are such that they extend downward to the bottom of the legs so that the lower ends of the opening are not blocked by any connecting structure. Flaps can be pivotally mounted to both openings. The flaps can have lugs which fit within voids in the guard structure. In a preferred embodiment, the lugs are toward the tops of the flaps, and the openings are in corner sections adjacent the openings. The front and rear flaps can rest on the structure about the front and rear ends, respectively, that resist further pivotal movement. The bottom of the guard can be formed with structure that fits over part of the housing to resist movement of the guard relative to the housing. In a preferred embodiment, horizontal ledges can be provided at the bottom of the sides, with depending structure fitting about the sides of the housing. Each flap can have a handle section. The guard can be made of transparent plastic so that the operator has a better view of the contents that are with the housing.